Method of making milker nipples



March 8, 1949. c. A. THOMAS METHOD OF MAKING MILKER NIPPLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed July 26, 1941 March 8, 1949.

Original Filed July 26, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 8, 1949 METHOD OF MAKING MILKER NIPPLES Chester A. Thomas, Crystal Lake, 111., assignor to Babson Bros. 00., a corporation of Illinois Original application July'26, 1941, Serial No.

Divided and this application October 26, 1944, Serial No. 560,501

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a milker nipple adapted to provide an automatic shut-01f connection between a milker and a flexible tube adapted to deliver milk thereto from a teat-cup.

This application is a division of my earlier application Serial No. 404,248, filed July 26, 1941, which is now abandoned, but which comprised the parent case of an application which issued August 19, 1947 as Patent No. 2,425,901.

One feature of this invention is that it provides a new and improved connecting nipple for milkers; another feature of this invention is that the nipple produced by the methods here claimed substantially completely eliminates choking off of the milk delivery tubes during use; yet another feature of this invention is that the nipple produced by the methods claimed herein prevents leakage when the milk delivery tube is in a position where full cut-off is desired; still another feature of this invention is that the desired nipples may be produced from standard commercial tubes of desired metal, as stainless steel; and a further feature of this invention is that improved milker nipples may be easily and simply manufactured by my methods. Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification and the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view, partially in vertical section, of a milker embodying my invention; Figure 2 is an early step in the process of manufacturing nipples embodying my invention; Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the finished nipple; Figure 4 shows a top plan view of the finished nipple; Figure 5 is a partial sectional view showing the milk delivery tube in fully cut-off position; and Figure 6 is a view of the same structure shown in Figure 5, but showing the milk delivery tube just as it opens.

The use on the lid of milkers of connecting nipples which automatically cut off the connection when the teat-cup and its connecting tube drop has long been commercial practice, but such connecting nipples have presented disadvantages. Those which were made with a straight out or flat face, as it may be termed, leaked around the edges of the face when the tube was in cut-off position; and other nipples which have for years been made and used by the company by whom I am employed, and which obviated leakage by turning the end of the face up in a substantial hook or lip, were objectionable in that they resulted in partially choked milk delivery tubes at times when such tubes should have been fully opened. I have now devised,

and am here disclosing, a connecting nipple which provides complete shut-off when this is desired, with no leakage around its edges, yet which opens the tube to fully desired width under conditions where previous nipples have partially choked the tube.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, I have shown a connector nipple ID on the lid l l of a suspended milker. The milker comprises as its principal parts a bucket or container l2, an upwardly and forwardly extending handle [3, the previously mentioned lid, and a pulsator I4. The milker is of the suspended type, more particularly described and claimed in McCornack Patents 1,859,213, dated May 17, 1932, and 2,050,356, dated August 11, 1936 and connecting nipples embodying my invention have proved particularly desirable in connection with such a milker.

As is well known, this type of milker is adapted to be hung beneath the belly of the cow by a surcingle extending over the cows back, a rod or similar element supported beneath the cows belly by the surcingle in turn supporting the milker by being received in one of the notches l5, H3 or H in the handle l3. A long flexible tube l3 leads from the pulsator 14 to a source of vacuum, generally a metal pipe extending along the barn wall and continuously evacuated, during milking, by a vacuum pump. The vacuum thus produced is drawn continuously on the interior of the container or bucket 12, and alternately through the tube l9 by reason of the operation of the pulsator M. A teat-cup shell of metal or the like, here identified as 20, has an inflation 2i therein of rubber or similar flexible material, the inflation in this case having integral with it a milk delivery tube here separately identified as 22, this tube being slipped over the nipple ii].

In the operation of the milker a vacuum is continuously drawn within the inflation 2| through the tube 22, and any milk drawn from the teat is delivered through this tube to the milker bucket; while the space between the inflation 2! and the shell 20 is alternately evacuated and opened to atmospheric air so that the inflation achieves the desired periodic squeezing of the teat. While only one nipple, teat-cup and inflation are shown in order to provide the clarity of illustration provided by a sectional view, it will be understood that the milker lid is provided with four such assemblies. When a teat-cup drops off a teat, or in the abnormal cases of an udder with only three teats, it is necessary that the tube 22 be shut oif when the cup is hanging down, since otherwise the vacuum in the bucket would be lost. It is for this purpose that the connecting nipple is provided with an automatic shut-off action, achieved by cutting its face at quite an acute angle to the axis of the tube from which the nipple'is formed, and by welding the nipple in the milker 'li'd at a corresponding angle, so that the face is substantially horizontal. Under these conditions, when the teat-up drops down the tube 22 assumes the position shown in Figure 5, this connection being completely closed off. r I

In the manufacture of my improved nipple a tube of the desired rigid material, as stainless steel having an outer diameter of 1% inch, is first cut in sections about 2 inches long, as shown by the full line representation in Figure 2, the tube then being cut straight across at a sharp angle, as illustrated by the dotted line in Figure '2. The angle of this cut, if the nipple is to properly achieve its results, must be considerably less than 45 to the axis of the tube, and is preferably approximately 22.5". If the cutting operation has left any ragged edges these are next ground smooth, and then the nipple is placed in an automatic press or otherwise subjected to a carefully regulated amount of pressure applied through'a predetermined distance, directly down upon the face, to expand the transverse Width of the face about twenty 'per cent. As can be best seen in Figure 4, the face is substantially elliptical as a result of this formation by the cut at a sharp angle to the axis of the tube, and its transverse width, or width across the short axis, is expanded about twenty per cent more than the diameter of the undistorted cylindrical portion of the nipple. If the expansion step results in any distortion of the face out of a plane, the

expanded face is preferably 'againground until it is fiat.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention the tube having inch outer diameter is spread to a diameter of about inch across the face. Every effort is madeto keep this expansion symmetrical, and a press carefully set to travel an appropriate distance will give equal expansion of the face of a plurality of nipples as they are being manufactured. I

As may be seen in Figure '5, the nipple is attached to a socket in the lid II by welding or other appropriate means, so that the axis of the nipple lies at approximately an angle of 225 to the plane of the lid. When the teat-cup drops down into fully hanging position the tube 22 has a tendency'to flatten down where it lies along the face of the connecting nipple, and in so doing to widen out; but the expanded width of the face is sufficient that the tube never gets out of tight grip with it, and a good shut-off is" provided. On the other hand, when the cup is only partially lifted, as where it is in place upon a rather low teat, the tube 22 is fairly Well opened, as shown in Figure 6, under conditions where an upturned-end on the nipple would have {the connection started to open, with the cup hanging frea'when the nipple was slanting down at an angle of 25 below the horizontal, and the connection was fully opened when the milker had been tilted until the nipple was slanting down at an angle of 35 below the horizontal.

In the case of the formerly used nipple with an upturned end, however, a similar test showed that the connection did not start to open until the nipple was slanting down at an'ang'le of 50 below the horizontal, and that it was not fully opened until an angle of 65 below the horizontal was reached. My improved connector nipple, therefore, gives a much greater operating latitudefor unusual conditions and provides sufiicient flow space under circumstances where the previous nipple would have completely choked off the milk delivery tube.

While 'I haveshown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing "from the spirit and scope of the invention' a's and a flexible tube, comprising cutting a'section of appropriate length from a rigid butdeforma'ble tubeby a cut in a plane-at an angle of approximately twenty-two and a'half degrees to the axis of the tube and then applying force to the face thus'formedto deform and expand the transverse width thereof, without deformingeither 'end of said face.

3. The 'method of "making nipples for providing a connection between the lid of a milker and a 'flexibletube adapted'to deliver milk thereto from ateat-cup, comprisin'gcutting a section of appropriate length from a rigid but deformable tube by a cut in a plane at an angle of less-than forty-five degrees to the axis of the tube and applying force to'the face thus formed to deform and expand the transverse width thereof, fa'n"d then grinding said face until it is fiat.

4. The method of making nipples for" providing a connection between the lid of a'milker' and a flexible tube'ada'pted to deliver 'milktheretd from a teat-cup, comprising cutting a section of appropriate length from a rigid but deformable tube by a cut'in a plane at an angle or approximately twenty-two and a half degreestothe axis o'fflthe tube and applying force to the face thus formed to deform 'and' expand 'theftransverse" width thereof, without deforming either end ofsaid face, andthen grinding said face until it is fiat. v

5. A method of the character claimed in claim 4, wherein the transverse width of the face is expanded approximately twenty per cent.

6.-Ihe method of making nipples for providing a fiow'control-connection between a device'and a flexible tube, comprising cutting a section of double the desired nipple length from .a rigid but deformable tube, dividing this into two-nipples by a cut in a plane at an: angle of less than fortyfive degrees to the axis of the rigid :tubew'and applyingforce tothe faces-thus formed to'deform and expand the transverse width thereof and grinding the same until they are flat.

7. The method of making nipples for providing a connection between the lid of a milker and a flexible tube adapted to deliver milk thereto from a teat-cup, comprising cutting a section of double the desired nipple length from a rigid but deformable tube, dividing this into two nipples by a cut in a plane at an angle of less than forty-five degrees to the axis of the rigid tube, and applying H1 force to the faces thus formed to deform and expand the transverse width thereof approximately twenty per cent and grinding the same until they are flat.

CHESTER. A. THOMAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are or record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,165,421 Koenig Dec. 28, 1915 1,719,169 Clulee July 2, 1929 1,859,213 McCornack May 17, 1932 2,329,396 Dinesen Sept. 14, 1943 2,425,901 Thomas Aug. 19, 1947 

